To reach Matsushima Onsen, take the JR Senseki Line from Sendai Station for 39 minutes and get off at Matsushimakaigan Station. Take a taxi or the regular shuttle bus for 10 minutes to find our first all-inclusive ryokan inn, Matsushima Ichinobo.

Matsushima is ranked amongst the three great views of Japan. It collectively refers to the various islands dotting in and around Matsushima Bay. Travelers from all over Japan visit to witness this stunning scenery woven together by the profusion of lush, pine-covered islands.

Matsushima Ichinobo is superbly located overlooking Matsushima Bay, and glorious ocean views bless each room. You can also catch the scenery from the top-floor open-air bath along with the lounge.

The all-inclusive plan has so much going on that it’s almost impossible to fit it all in! It includes food and drinks at the restaurant and lounge, entry to the adjacent Kyohei Fujita Museum of Glass, access to the sauna and rock salt spa, and more.

The Kyohei Fujita Museum of Glass is limited to inn guests between 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., allowing a more thorough viewing without the crowds.

After checking in, head to the “Suijo Teien” aquatic garden to kick-start your vacation while soaking in the sea breeze.

The hot springs use free-flowing geothermal water pumped from a private source. You can bathe freely at the top-floor “Happyaku Yashima” open-air bath while watching the sunrise.

Matsushima Ichinobo has English language support. It is frequented by foreign tourists for its exceptional standard of service, along with the fantastic gardens, hot springs, sunrise scenery, free drinks, tasty meals, afternoon snacks, and live music. The Kyohei Fujita Museum of Glass further adds an extra layer of depth to the stay.

Included in Accommodation Fee:
・Accommodation
・Hot spring bath
・Open-air bath
・Drinks and meals at the restaurant and lounge (including breakfast and dinner)
・Access to the Kyohei Fujita Museum of Glass
・Library
・Bicycle rental
・Sauna
・Rock salt spa
・Live music at the lounge

Hot spring inn Takamiya Ryokan Yamanoki can be reached by taking a 75-minute highway bus from Sendai Station until Yamagata Station, then boarding the train on the JR Ou Main Line for 50 minutes for Yonezawa Station. Get off at Yonezawa Station and again take a 40-minute bus ride to the inn. As you can see, getting here is a little tricky, so we also recommend booking a rental car and driving from Sendai, which will take 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Nestled amongst the mountains surrounded by lush wilderness, Takamiya Ryokan Yamanoki is a premier inn with just 11 rooms. It serves as a refuge for those seeking an escape from the chaos of city life, allowing one to enjoy the passing of time in absolute tranquility.

The hot spring, called Shirabu Onsen, boasts more than 700 years of history, and its nourishing waters will thoroughly warm the body’s core.

Takamiya Ryokan Yamanoki is also visited for its food, which is served in a dining room with semi-private separated tables, facilitating a more relaxing experience. The courses are packed with local ingredients, most notably the highly-coveted wagyu “Yonezawa-gyu,” which is served teppanyaki-style. This top-quality beef exhibits exquisite marbling loaded with “umami” flavor.

Drinks include the local favorite “Toko” sake from Yonezawa City, wine from Takahata Winery in Takahata, and more, showcasing brews of the surrounding Okitama region.

For those seeking extra luxury, we recommend the exclusive “Rindo,” which boasts a double Japanese tatami room measuring a whopping 70m²! Each room is fitted with a large window, allowing the beauty of the seasons to be appreciated in all their glory.

After resting on the first day, guests can join a hiking tour with a local Shirabu guide. These guides know every nook of Shirabu Onsen, and will take guests to the lesser-known hot spring sources and waterfalls whilst outlining the regional history (hiking is held between May and October between 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m., requires a reservation at least the day before).

While Takamiya Ryokan Yamanoki doesn’t have English signage or support, the staff are all extremely kind and caring, so there should be no trouble. Their website is available in several languages, so check out all the details in advance.

Included in Accommodation Fee:
・Accommodation
・Drinks and meals at the restaurant and lounge (including breakfast and dinner)
・Trekking with a Shirabu guide
・Entry to 3 hot springs in Shirabu Onsen
・Scenic hot spring bath and private reservable bath

Oto-no-Hana Yubou Ichiraku can be accessed by a 75-minute ride on the highway bus from Sendai Station to Yamagata Station, and a further 20-minute train ride on the JR Ou Main Line to Tendo Station. From there, Yubou Ichiraku’s shuttle bus will bring guests to Tendo Onsen, where the inn is located, in 5 minutes. By car, it’s approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes from Sendai Station.

Tendo Onsen is a vibrant hot spring town with diverse accommodation, from modern, large-scale hotels to small, traditional Japanese inns. Being close to Yamagata Airport and with a bullet train station, it’s the go-to spot for a vacation in Yamagata.

Visitors will be enthralled right from the get-go, as the entrance is adorned by dynamic sculptures from famed Yamagata sculptor Shigehito Matsuda.

After choosing a yukata that takes your fancy, a soak in the natural open-air bath is in order! The geothermal waters of Tendo Onsen are transparent, colorless, and high in sulfate, said to help alleviate nerve pain and fatigue.

There is a shared hot spring bath, an open-air hot spring bath, and three kinds of private, reservable baths (the private rock and hinoki cypress bath will be closed and under renovation until July 2022). The shared hot spring bath is shaped like a giant shogi piece, as Tendo is Japan’s largest manufacturing region for shogi, a famous Japanese game.

After bathing, wet your whistle with a freshly brewed beer from the inn’s own Tendo Brewery. This small-scale craft brewery was established in 1999 for guests to experience the pleasure of a drink after the hot springs. The beers are brewed with underground water from Tendo, with Yamagata ingredients like cherries and soba added for extra oomph.

Dinnertime meals are painstakingly prepared by chefs using local ingredients to their maximum potential. The rich bouquet of tastes and aromas is sure to delight.

Staff can accommodate English and Chinese speakers, along with some basic German. There is ample English signage and a translation tablet for a stress-free stay.

Included in Accommodation Fee:
・Accommodation
・Drinks and meals at the restaurant and terrace (including breakfast, dinner, and alcoholic drinks)
・Yukata selection
・Yoga
・Hot spring
・Open-air bath
・Private reservable bath

Kami-no-Yama Azumaya is reachable from Sendai Station via a 1-hour-and-15-minute highway bus ride to Yamagata Station, then a 12-minute train ride on the JR Ou Main Line until Kaminoyama-Onsen Station. From there, the hotel is a 5-minute trip on the shuttle bus.

Kaminoyama Onsen is a quaint, ambient hot spring town with around 560 years of history. There are lots to see, including Kaminoyama Castle, reconstructed in 1982, and the extravagant estates formerly owned by samurai.

After arriving, recharge your batteries at the first-floor lounge and make your own herbal tea from over ten varieties of leaves.

There are 13 types of rooms, each serving a different kind of guest. For a high-class indoor experience, nothing beats the “Premium Suite” or “Junior Suite,” both of which have a private open-air bath attached.

The top floor hot spring “Soyokaze” treats guests to gorgeous panoramas of the Kaminoyama townscape encased by grand mountains in a spacious, open tub. On days with nice weather, the night sky glitters with a sea of stars.

Once you’ve bathed, it’s time for dinner! The centerpiece is the famed “Yamagata wagyu,” which is hand-picked for the hotel by a connoisseur chef and matured to peak condition.

Dishes include “Bamboo Steamed Yamagata Wagyu,” where the beef is slowly steamed until soft, and “Yamagata Wagyu Totsuya-Hime-no-Nigiri,” which is cooked on low heat to lock in the savory juices. No matter the choice, the premium ingredients are bound to satisfy.

While they can’t speak English, the friendly demeanor and attentive care of staff will ensure a comfortable stay despite language barriers. Numerous international tourists have spent the night here, and English reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

Included in Accommodation Fee:
・Accommodation
・Hot spring
・Open-air bath
・Sauna
・Drinks and meals at the restaurant and lounge (including breakfast and dinner)
・Yukata selection
・Use of the comic library

All these fantastic Tohoku accommodation plans include meals, hot springs, activities, services, and more, ensuring a fun-filled getaway without a monster bill at the end.

*This article is accurate as of April 2022. Confirm the latest information on official websites before making plans.

Text by: Shoe Press